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Storming Agile Teams: Our Role & Multi-Dimensional Storming Challenge

Storming Agile Teams: Challenges & Our Role
Last week I share with you, part of the Storming Agile Teams worbook Introduction. Today, you are about to read about the Challenges that I’ve faced and what I think should be Our Role during this phase of the team’s development journey.
Note: This article is part of my second workbook of the “Agile Teams from Forming to Perfoming series” titled “Storming Agile Teams“.
Our Role
As Scrum Masters/Agile Coaches, we have a main role within the team’s transformation process. In my opinion, we should be leading the team’s change process in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, composed at least by one representative of each group who has a quantifiable and measurable need in helping the team’s moving forward in their development journey. Here is an example of roles that I have seen being part of a team’s transformation process:

The Team’s Direct Supervisor/Manager

The Team’s Scrum Master/Team’s Coach

The Product/Service Owner of the team.

Optional roles, depending on the context:

If there is an strategic coach in place and the team’s transformation could have an impact on a bigger scale agile project, then I strongly suggest asking this person to be part of the team’s transformation project.

Interconnected Teams Scrum Master(s)/Coaches, that could have an input in the team’s transformation process.

Interconnected Teams Direct Supervisor/Manager, that could have an input in the team’s transformation process.

Any additional role that could help the team’s

Installing Common Sense
Further than that, I truly believe that installing common sense should be our MOTTO. Guiding individuals, teams and organizations to understand that doing and being agile means to use common sense at every single step of the way.
I also believe in the benefits of connecting people through thoughtful and genuine collaboration, as our main purpose when playing the continuous improvement agent role. But please, don’t get me wrong by thinking that these is an easy task to accomplish, even with practice it might be hard to apply everyone’s common sense to any situation, especially when the only authority you would have over people, comes from your ability to influence their way of seeing live with a different perspective and help them embrace change as part of their journey.
But let’s face it, it is a huge challenge, to lead by example and be there trying to inspire others to inspect and adapt, it requires courage, self-awareness, humbleness, love and hope that the best will come if we do it together but it’s so great seeing people’s faces illuminating after an AHA moment has made a click on their minds, that the effort worth giving it a try.
Multidimensional Storming Challenges
The Storming Phase of a team’s development journey, has a special characteristic: it could be the most terrifying mirror that you have ever seeing ever. So, you should be always aware of that, to stay at step ahead of every single situation. Remember that the team is going through conflicts that could be causing people’s pain, suffering and stress, so our role is crucial to create the conditions to help the team ill as soon as possible.
What I think matters the most, is that you pay attention to your feelings and emotions first, before jumping into any intervention possible with the team, because that would help you raise self-awareness and allow you to raise your self-control levels.
Our job and main responsibility
It’s also our job to manage conflicts within the team and mentor them, the team’s supervisor(s), stakeholder(s) and the organization too, about dealing with conflicts in a constructive way.It’s also our responsibility to help the team and its entourage to build real T.R.U.S.T.

TeamWork

Rely

Unique

Success

Together

Conclusion
That’s what I think our role is in the team’s transformation process. We are at heart of it, and yes, it’s up to us to make the difference and change the world, one team, one collaboration at a time.
Take Action
Does that resonates with you?
Then here my invitation with two options: